God of War III Walkthrough

In God of War III, Kratos takes on his most exciting and challenging quest yet. Prevail against all odds with GameSpot's walkthrough.

Kratos is back and he's thirsty--thirsty for Zeus' blood, that is. And he'll have it! He just needs your help to get it, and you may need GameSpot's help to help you help him get it. You see the start of this vicious cycle?

Basics

Combos

In God of War III, it's important to thoughtfully string together attacks that build off one another to maximize damage and keep enemies indisposed for as long as possible. Kratos can perform both light and strong attacks that when alternately chained together can produce some devastating combos. There is an in-game move list that you can consult to read up on some of the special attacks Kratos can perform with each weapon.

Defense

You've often heard that defense is the best offense. In Kratos' case, this is very often true. Kratos has a Golden Fleece that allows him to deflect enemy attacks and even retaliate as long as you press L1 (block) just as the enemy makes contact. A successful Golden Fleece counter glows and is extremely valuable in combat.

Quick Time Events

The game relies heavily on your ability to press buttons that flash on-screen for a few seconds to advance the storyline or finish off special enemies. These randomized button sequences are referred to as Quick Time Events (QTE) and usually utilizes most of the buttons available on the PS3 controller. So, don't put down your controller during long cinematic, as you may miss an opportunity to perform a QTE. Failure in correctly pressing a button usually ends in some detrimental effects for Kratos.

Upgrading Weapons & Items

Red Orbs are used to upgrade the weapons and items that Kratos collects throughout his quest for vengeance. Each weapon is maxed out at Level 5, whereas the items will be maxed out after one upgrade. There will be more than ample Orbs near the end of the game to upgrade everything, but in the beginning you must decide carefully which weapon is to be powered up first. The Cyclone Chaos attack with the Blades of Exile is large crowd-cleaner, and so we recommend starting with that.

Orbs

There are three different colored Orbs interspersed throughout the game among enemies, chests, and objects: red, green, and blue. Red Orbs are experience Orbs that can be spent on upgrading weapons and items. These are easily the most abundant in the game, as enemies often relinquish many when killed and they can also be found from chests and by smashing urns. The green Orbs replenish Kratos' health, whereas the blue Orbs replenish Kratos' magic meter.

Power Ups & Collectibles

Throughout the game are special ornate chests that contain one of three items: A Phoenix Feather, a Gorgon Eye, or a Minotaur Horn. Phoenix Feather augments the blue magic meter; a Gorgon Eye increases the maximum health meter, and a Minotaur Horn increases the item meter. Collect three of each to upgrade the corresponding meter. Aside from these upgrades, you will also find unique Godly possessions that grant special abilities to Kratos during a second playthrough. Keep in mind that upon activation of these items you may not be able to gain Trophies. Later on, when you've collected everything there is to collect the special chests will contain a plethora of red Orbs instead.

Walkthrough

NOTE:The author uses the "official" names of the moves. If you're unsure of what she means by "Hyperion Ram," you can consult the in-game move list on the pause menu for reference. Also something to note is that while combos and button combinations may be the same for most weapons, the names of them and effects may differ from weapon to weapon. The author tends to refer to "Hyperion Ram" a lot, which basically is a L1 + Circle command.

The Beginning

Gaia

While the opulent visuals will leave you completely awe-struck, you hit the ground running--so to speak--as the first gaggle of enemies greet the vengeful deity on the shoulder of the gargantuan Titan, Gaia. These guys aren't tough, a small appetizer used to wet Kratos' unquenchable hunger for blood. A quick and effective way of clearing enemies, particularly weak enemies such as these, is to press Circle to grab hold of the enemy; then, press and hold Square while running around to mow down the surrounding enemies.

The fundamentals of the game will be introduced to you as more enemies land upon Gaia's arm. Interact with the fallen tree trunk by pressing R2 and then rapidly pressing the button displayed on-screen. For future reference, most environmental interactions will be performed this way.

Poseidon has planted his poison on Gaia in the form of a Leviathan. This is the first (and definitely not the last) encounter with this spider-horse hybrid. Its most damaging attack is its water-breathing move, which can be easily predicted. When it rears its head back, it is about to belch out an unrelenting stream of water that both pushes Kratos back and causes him pain. The right side of this small clearing keeps Kratos relatively immune to the damage.

As the battle drags on, Gaia moves her arm around in an effort to fling the parasite loose and, in the process, adds inconvenience by flipping the perspective of the battle upside-down. Kratos now hangs from Gaia's hand and must dodge deadly claw jabs. Press the Cross button to get a boost of speed in order to dodge Leviathan's attacks. Not much longer, the battle perspective switches again—this time right-side up, but Kratos must still crawl around and dodge claw jabs. In the final segment of the battle, the Leviathan's watery breath returns, but it can be narrowly avoided much the same way. With enough damage dealt, Leviathan slumps over slightly with a glowing Circle button floating above its head. Press it to initiate a Quick-Time Event (QTE), during which you press the buttons that appear on-screen for a very gruesome, yet satisfying finisher.

Mount Olympus

Shimmy across the vines and mosey on over to the chest. Poseidon's progeny is persistent; Gaia is bogged down a bit, but Kratos has some trouble of his own. The archers ahead can be quite irksome, but can be defeated with a single magic attack. Climb the ladder up to encounter more enemies, as well as a chest containing green Orbs. Just above is a grapple point, which can be reached by climbing atop the adjacent ledge and press R1 to secure the grapple. Hold the button down for momentum and swing across to the opposite ledge.

Here Kratos must utilize his incredible strength and climbing prowess to scale the mountainside to reach the top. The Leviathan proves to be much more of a nuisance for Gaia than ever before, but there's nothing to be done for her at the moment. Although you ultimately want to glide across the gap using Icarus Wings, there's a red Orb chest to be pillaged in the area just below. Replenish the health and magic meters before continuing on to the door ahead.

Tomb of Ares

Kratos comes to a big, empty room with only silence pervading the air. Looks like a bad situation just waiting to happen. Sure enough, a Centaur wielding a huge pointy stick struts in and immediately tries to impale Kratos. A quick half-rotation of the Analog Stick will save Kratos a world of pain. The horsey doesn't take much punishment before the QTE appears and allows Kratos to very brutally eviscerate the poor steed.

Pull the gleaming lever on the left to move one of the suspending platforms, and climb the ladder on the right. Do not tarry for long, as the platform returns back to its original position after a bit of time. Float over to the opposite ledge, upon which sit a chest teeming with red Orbs and a save point.

Gaia and Poseidon continue duking it out, but the tides of battle seem to be tipping in Poseidon's favor. Mash the Circle button and ride the retracting claw to an area outside. In part two of this battle, Leviathan has learned a few new tricks. The single claw jabs from before have multiplied into about three consecutive thrusts. In addition, Leviathan digs its claws in an alternating fashion to inch forward and ultimately trap Kratos within a confined area for its water breath. This will be devastating if Kratos lets this plan go into fruition, so he must relentlessly weaken the planted claws.

The QTE prompt appears sooner than you'd expect, but Leviathan isn't done. It continues its rampage, although becomes a bit more tame. Use magic attacks and commit a battery of attacks to bring up the QTE prompt once again. Mash the L1 and R1 buttons together to rip open the beast's chest. Approach the severed claw on the ground and press R1 to pick it up and fling it into the exposed cavity. Kratos pushes it deeper to add insult to injury and sends the beast to its final demise.

Climb up the vines along the weakened Gaia and enter her surprisingly hollow innards. Press up against the far wall and push through the tight squeeze. Locate the vine wall and follow it down into the Heart of Gaia.

Heart of Gaia

Ignore the temptation to interact with the shiny thing on the wall for now and instead climb up the wall on the right. Here Zeus' Eagle is up for grabs, but can't be used until after you beat the game once. Now pull the giant column of rock from its spot and drag it to other side, where it will fit in another crevice. Flip the column 180-degrees by using the right Analog Stick and slide it into the crevice to complete the path. Scale the wall, leap to the grapple point, press R1, and swing across to the far wall.

The next area serves as a playground in which Kratos can practice the Battering Ram as directed by the on-screen prompt. Afterwards, follow this path to the end and begin the long ascent. The God of the Sea, Poseidon, awaits Kratos at the top and almost immediately engages him in battle.

Boss Battle: Poseidon

Clearly, Poseidon is as self-imposing as ever. In fact, one would normally think the battle be unfair, but as Kratos' track record has proven otherwise not even gods can phase this angry Spartan. Just as with the previous encounters with Poseidon's incarnations, the battle will advance in three segments. In the initial segment, Poseidon's giant claws grip the sides of the area and should be the focus of Kratos' unrelenting fury. As you wail away on the claws, watch Poseidon for any tell-tale signs of an imminent attack, usually indicated by dramatic movements on his part and crackling blue energy gathering under Kratos' feet. When the latter happens, roll away to avoid being seared by the ensuing lightning.

Eventually, the claws are pried loose from Gaia's head after a good deal of thrashing, at which point the location of the battle positions Kratos closer to Poseidon himself. In this up and personal perspective, Kratos' attacks easily reach Poseidon, but expect him to retaliate in kind with jabs from both his trident and fist. Poseidon also unleashes a more deadly attack, in which he thrusts his trident into the ground three times, each time emitting a burst of electricity. Roll toward the rear of the area and back to the front to evade this attack.

Wear down the Greek deity enough and the QTE prompt appears overhead. Move to the back and clamber up the vines to reach it. Despite Kratos' punishment, Poseidon is not quite done yet and stands firm against the prevailing Spartan in a segment that somewhat mirrors the first, except Poseidon casts a highly damaging lightning attack that slowly works its way toward the back of the screen. Unleash an all-out attack on the claws to minimize the number of times Poseidon casts this move and off the God of the Sea for good.

After following the button sequence, the final prompt asks you to press L3 and R3, which means pressing down on the Analog Sticks.

The Underworld

River Styx

As Kratos swims through this eerie river, half of his health and magic as well as his abilities will be stripped by the savage river denizens. Continue following the river and limp forward to trigger a cut-scene, during which Kratos is bestowed the Blades of Exile.

Realm of Hades

Moving on, Kratos swings across the wide chasm to the platform. There are a couple of chests sitting at the bottom level, one of which contains a Gorgon Eye. Collect three of these to lengthen Kratos' health bar. Climb up the side of the wall to the top to meet some resistance. This is a good opportunity to experiment with a nifty new move that has Kratos fling his twin blades into the chest of his foes and propels him forward, slamming into his target and surrounding enemies.

While the path here splits, the choice here is made obvious because the path to the right currently leads to a dead-end. Moving past the save point, Kratos must double-jump and expand his wings to hop from pillar to pillar. Kratos is granted a new type of magic, Army of Sparta, which is useful against clusters of enemies. As if on cue, a horde of Hades' minions flock toward Kratos.

Only after all enemies have been eliminated with the huge spears blocking the way retract into the ground. Jump up to the long chain and shimmy across. To make traversing the chain more interesting, Kratos faces enemies hanging from the chain. Cross to the other side and empty the chests of its contents. Run down the hall and lift open the chests for red Orbs. Push open the doors at the end and step into battle.

The small room teems with standard enemy fare, but roaming prominently amid the crowd of small fry is a Gorgon, a slithering creature that possesses Medusa-like abilities. If Kratos ever gets caught in its gaze, you must furiously wiggle the Analog Stick to break free. Fortunately, the easiest way to deal with such an adversary is to repeatedly use Hyperion Ram (L1 + Circle). This never allows the Gorgon to react in reprisal and also shuts down its deadly stone gaze move. Execute the QTE prompt to clear out the Gorgon and the other enemies. A second Gorgon rushes in to replace the deceased one. Unfortunately for the Gorgon, it will be unable to escape the same fate.

Continue down, collecting the Orbs from their respective chests, and enter a vast chamber.

Peirithous' Chamber

Peirithous strikes an enticing deal with Kratos: free him from his thorny prison and Kratos shall have his bow. Good enough. Start by hopping atop the ledge above Peirithous and onto the chandelier-type object. Leap off toward the ledge along the left wall. An unlit brazier can be found here; push it off the edge and drag it toward the opposite end of the room, where a caged hellhound called a Cerberus can breathe fire on it.

The newly lit brazier releases a jet of uplifting steam. This allows Kratos to reach the lever in the alcove above by spreading his wings and riding the updraft. But first, you probably need to return to the moving chandelier near Peirithous to open access to the lever.

As you soon find out, the lever frees the hot-headed Cerberus from its prison. Drop down to deal with the mutt. Hyperion Ram doesn't work quite as well against the fire-spitting hound; dodge the fireballs and successfully complete the QTE prompt to gain complete reign of the hound. Gallop toward Peirithous while plowing through the clumps of enemies and pressing Cross to burn them to a crisp.

Use the tamed Cerberus to burn away the thorns and pluck Bow of Apollo from Peirithous' charred corpse. The bow incinerates the previously impassable patches of bramble. There's a patch of it on the ledge above. Fry it with a charged shot and use the brazier to hitch a ride to the level above like before. Pick up some Orbs and a Phoenix Feather.

Remember the path choked off by a thicket of bramble? It can easily be cleared away now and ultimately leads to the acquisition of a Minotaur Horn. Climb the ledge on the left and advance into the next room. A nice and easy way of taking care of the flying enemies in the next room involves using an aerial version of the Hyperion Ram. Jump into the air and tap the usual command to pull Kratos toward the target for a vicious beating.

Afterwards, head down and shuffle across, hugging the wall along the side of the cliff. Press R1 to drop into a hanging position and proceed onward. As you move Kratos along back towards the left, move to the far left, past a waterfall to find a Gorgon Eye in a chest. Double back and climb up to the top, where Kratos must hang from the ceiling and monkey-bar over the abyss. Spread Icarus' Wings to safely reach the prominent structure across from Kratos.

Judges of the Underworld

Empty the chest nearby for Orbs and swing across using the grapple points to land upon a spacious platform. The third Gorgon Eye and first health bar augmentation can be found off to the left side, in-between two red Orb chests. Return to the glimmering object in the center of the platform and then move onto the next to receive the first trial.

Trial 1: The Condemned: This is simple enough. Eliminate all wavering hands and the Lost Souls. The hands will grab the Lost Souls and turn them into slightly more formidable enemies. Take care of them before this happens as quickly as possible.

Trial 2: The Lost: The Minotaur mingling in the crowd makes the encounter a bit more problematic, but the two moves that will help a lot are: Battering Ram and Hyperion Ram. When the regular enemies touch the wall in the back, they turn into more aggressive puppets of Hades. However, this can be a good thing because this means they can be grabbed by pressing Circle and used to steamroll the surrounding baddies, including the Minotaur. Alternate between Battering Ram and Hyperion Ram to vanquish this set of adversaries. If low on health, a felled Minotaur gives up chunks of Health Orbs.

Trial 3: The Chosen This third and final wave of enemies include the like of a Gorgon, familiar aerial creatures, and a pair of Minotaurs (that don't appear until after the Gorgon). The Gorgon should be the kill priority, making sure it never has the freedom to cast its spell. Overall, employ the same tactics as you would if they were to be dealt with individually, except more evasive maneuvers are required.

After successfully completing the trials, step near the glimmering object for the final judgment. Save your game and proceed through the blue portal. Move up toward the top end of the screen, shattering any urns in sight for red Orbs. Two Minotaurs approach from the distance. Ignite the oil pots in the passage as the hellish bovines get near to significantly soften them up.

There's a blue portal on the right just after emerging from the tunnel. This takes you back to the three Judges area with a chest containing a Minotaur Horn. Pull the lever here to raise the gates and to free access to the rest of the area. Hop back through the portal and float over to the other platforms. Approach the bronze statue for a cut-scene. Following the cut-scene, double jump up to the chain and swing across.

When you reach a seemingly dead-end, hug the right side to find a tight crawl space and inch along. A new enemy here signified by its glowing blue hands confronts Kratos. They are long-ranged enemies and should be dealt with up-close. They explode upon death, so keep your distance.

In the room with two statues, aim an arrow at the bramble between the statues to create an upward draft. Use it to ride to the top. Hit the lever and quickly hop on the moving platform before it leaves Kratos behind. There's an infinite supply of oil cans here, and the first can be used to help weaken the enemies that appear here. Obviously, there's something to be done with the oil can. The objective now is to scoot it into the elevator by making back and forth trips to transport it to the bottom. When you do, more enemies appear.

Once they're disposed of, drop the pot onto the fire pit below to strengthen the draft, allowing Kratos to ascend higher. He eventually hits a platform and lowers it with his weight. Haul Kratos up on the platform and heave the door open. Myriad of hands protrude from every direction, but keep your eye on the prize at the end of the tunnel: a Phoenix Feather!

Float to the area high above and follow the hallway to a rounded pathway. At the Pit of Tartarus, a pair of Golems rumble to life and immediately attack Kratos. Not many attacks cause these stone Golems to stagger back, but a well-executed combo can knock them momentarily off their feet. For the most part, they tend to thrust and do hammer swings. They're slow enough that Kratos can run circles around them; just don't get caught in the business end of their hammer. Use L1 to block their attacks.

At the very end of the path, float down to the health chest and proceed on to the Forge.

The Forge

Hephaestus in the Forge doesn't offer much help to Kratos. On the left side of the room loom gigantic double doors. A keen eye will spot the Gorgon Eye-containing chest sitting in the left corner before the doors. Move to the other side of the room with the save point and lever, and pull the lever. It opens a pathway to a circular platform with a rotating crank in the center. Be sure to push against it and not pull to budge the crank. Align the platform's opening with the path on the right for a bonus encounter with hellhounds and chests filled with a plethora of red Orbs. Ultimately, though, you want to line the opening up with the bramble.

Fire a lighted arrow into the overgrowth to gain access to the Blade of Olympus. This weapon can be used by pressing down on both Analog Sticks (L3 +R3) until a meter on the lower right is completely depleted. Repletion of the meter occurs as Kratos kills more enemies. Vanquish the underworld minions that appear here, then head down to empty the chests below. Swing across the gaps and run down the path to the save point, towards the archers, and to the bramble in the distance.

Upon lighting the bramble, twin ferocious Cerberus mutts immediately pounce on Kratos. Dealing with both at the same time can be a bit overwhelming, but their attacks remain predictable. A fire projectile following a linear path, head-butts, and occasionally a pin-down attack are about all they're capable of. Sometimes they tend to blast each other with their own fire. Each QTE prompt will have Kratos tear off only one of the heads—gotta take down all six to put these bad dogs to sleep for good. All it takes is to kill one as quickly as possible to make the rest of the battle smooth sailing.

Head through the huge door and take care of the enemies within. Proceed into the Palace of Hades.

Palace of Hades

Hades' friendly greeting makes us feel right at home. Start off by saving at the save point, then loot the chests around the room for various Orbs. The proper way to conquer this room, however, is to first haul the heavy pallet of stones from the right-hand room to the large wheel on the left side. Kratos will run into a small nuisance in the process of doing this, but they should do little harm.

Spin the wheel to open the gate above, then quickly wedge the pile of stones under the wheel to keep it from clicking back into its original position. This keeps the gate open for Kratos. When he enters the room, Minotaurs and vicious hounds break loose. Dispose of them and continue up the ramp to the next level.

Rotate the crank in the middle to bring up a coffin and lasso it with R1. With a great heave, Kratos smashes the coffin against the large statue and causes ladders to drop down on both sides of the room. Before exploring the two revealed options, there is a third ladder in the back on the left side that leads to red Orbs and a Phoenix Feather, one that should complete the first magic power-up.

From here, climb up the left-hand ladder and move to the back of the room to find a lever, ignoring the large wheel here for now. Activating the lever sends the platform to the floor below. Lift up the gate and attempt to drag the pallet of stones from the wheel here--it is now needed elsewhere. After disposing of the winged enemies, board the elevator with the pallet in tow and ride it back up. Now position the pallet near the wheel, slide down to the bottom floor and rotate the crank in the center.

You begin hearing methodic clanking sounds; quickly fly up the ladder again and this time, turn the wheel to force the statue's hand into the opened cuff. Slide the pallet under the wheel to keep it from budging. Return to the center crank with the intention of turning it once more. Afterwards, rush up the ladder on the right and spin the wheel here.

Interact with the pedestal once more to face off against Hades.

Boss Battle: Hades

Expect the battle against Hades to be a bit of a lengthy affair. From the get-go, Hades tries to claim Kratos' soul; mash the R1 and L1 buttons to keep his soul intact. Hades himself can be quite intense mostly because of the limited amount of space and his scary, far-reaching claws. Hades has quite a few attacks stored in his arsenal, some of which may not arise until a certain phase. Thankfully, there's a certain degree of predictability to his attacks, mostly due to his exaggerated pre-attack rituals.

In the first of five phases (yes, five) against Hades, Hades stomps around swinging his claws at Kratos and a small tremor attack. You can have an easier time dealing with him by unloading arrows in his face. Kratos can shoot arrows even whilst mid-air. Keep hitting him with arrows until the first prompt appears. During the brutal sequence, Kratos tears a chunk of flesh that needs to be eliminated right away. This needs to be done two more times (hence the numerous phases in this battle).

As the battle escalates, Hades unleashes more abilities. The perspective changes and he stays largely in one spot in the room. From there, he winds up and sweeps his claws across the entire room several times in a row. Jump straight up to avoid this; the longer pauses signify a mid-air sweep, so don't be fooled into jumping up when this happens. Next, Hades jumps to the ceiling and drops down, the shock of which creates an outward-flowing tremor. Jump up again to avoid this attack.

When Hades yells out something along the lines of "hell awaits," the floor quickly becomes covered in a veil of black except for one overtly clear spot. Run to this safehaven to be completely immune. When Hades squats and hunches over, circular pools of purple appear underneath Kratos, and within seconds chains erupt from these. Keep a constant move on to escape these erupting chains. The final attack variation involves Hades' summoning souls to his aid. Simply run around until they disappear or block.

Aside from the special attacks, Hades' melee attacks will intensify as the battle drags on. All of them can be avoided with rolling and jumping. Eventually, Hades and Kratos lock in a grueling tug-of-war. Receiving damage causes Kratos to lose some footing and gives Hades a slight edge. If he gets pulled into the water, mash the Circle button in order for Kratos to safely scramble out and regain his footing. Hit Hades with strong attacks while dodging his counterattacks until the prompt appears. Press Circle to receive the Claws of Hades.

These faster and awesome weapons grant the Soul Summon magic ability, which won't be of too much use against Hades at the moment. After picking off the underworld minions, Hades returns, a little ticked off and is hell-bent on inflicting otherworldly pain upon Kratos. In this final segment of the battle, Kratos can exploit the grapple points to swing around Hades and avoid his attacks completely. There's no doubt that Hades has already been significantly weakened. It's only a matter of time before the final prompt appears overhead and sentences the God of the Underworld to…where can the God of the Underworld even go??

With Hades' soul siphoned, Kratos can safely swim in the River of Styx. Save your game and dive into the water, aiming for Hades' Helm at the bottom. Follow the river, clear out some enemies using Soul Summon, activate the lever and return to the Forge.

Leave the Forge and return to the rotating platform. Attempting to rotate the crank shakes the stone Golems to life. These animated statues along with a half dozen annoying mutts have only one thing in mind: kill Kratos! Fight for his right to rotate the crank, and align the opening of the platform with the northern path.

Head along the familiar-looking path and aim for the now activated Hyperion Gate in the distance.

Olympia

The City of Olympia

Round the corner to bump into Gaia, who pleads for Kratos' help--the nerve! "Help" her by cutting at her fingers and clearing the path. The engraving on the huge doors states that a hero must prove his worth before the path to Olympia is opened. Some formidable zombie warriors quickly overrun the area. They are soon joined by dogs. The warriors launch attacks that do respectable amount of damage, so don't get careless. Once these are disposed of, head through the double doors.

The Harpies Kratos encounters in this room differ from the usual aggressive types. These can be manipulated into ferrying Kratos across wide chasms. Chain the Harpy and use it to hitch a ride across. You don't need to hold the buttons down to keep Kratos on the Harpy. Don't miss the chest filled with red Orbs below the two Harpies.

The Harpies drop Kratos off at the exit that peeks into an empty rooftop. As Kratos approaches, a gaggle of enemies crawl up and engage the Spartan in battle. After clearing out this initial batch, a Centaur accompanied by a throng of beefed up warriors gang up on Kratos. The Centaur itself doesn't present too much of a threat; watch out for the charge and ensuing impalement, at which point you must rotate the Analog Stick in time to successfully counter the attack.

The foot soldiers, however, start to use a shockwave sword attack. When you see them raise their gleaming weapon into the air, move out of their linear line of sight. When the Circle appears, there is no finisher as expected; instead, you can press Circle to finish them off, or press Square to have Kratos use the victim in hand as the Battering Ram. That is an effective means of dealing with the Centaur and its crowd. Occasionally, the ground is set ablaze by raining fireballs as well.

Take the path up and meet up with a Titan in the distance. Helios has waged war on the invading Titan and seems to be winning; help out the Titan by getting on the ballista, but when that happens a truly ferocious mythical creature, the Chimera, rears its ugly head.

The Chimera definitely has a lot more roar than bite, but without the proper evasive maneuvers this enemy can quickly become a handful. This battle gets drawn out simply because the Chimera can withstand quite a beating (and has three different parts to it). During the first segment, the Chimera arrives intact with a serpent as its tail. When the eyes flash red, the serpent spits some corrosive substance in Kratos' face. The Claws of Hades' Soul Rip attack (L1 + Circle) works quite well against it. This beginning stage against the Chimera should end soon enough.

The second incarnation, the Lion part, mixes it up a bit with fireball attacks. The final incarnation takes the form of a ram that adds charge attacks in addition to fireball projectiles. Upon dealing adequate damage to this agile abomination, the Circle finisher appears above its head to signify its imminent end. Terminate the sucker and hop on the ballista.

Crank an arrow back, and watch as Helios flies by on his flaming chariot. When he gets close enough, let an arrow loose to waylay his flight path and help out the Titan. Helios crash lands somewhere, so hop off and double back a bit. Harpies now hover in the area; use them to traverse the gap to the other side. Clear the enemies and head past the gate. Battering Ram through the congested hallway and cross the bridge to the ladder.

An innocent civilian stands in the way, but Kratos will take no pity upon the poor sap and put him out of his misery. Drop to a hanging position to bypass the flaming window and proceed up. Helios has been located and is gravely wounded from the attack. A myriad of loyal soldiers carrying shields quickly envelop Helios in a protective barrier. A few pokes at this living shield confirms that normal means will not penetrate it.

Alas, a powerful Cyclops stumbles into the area and stirs up some trouble with Kratos in its single sight. The oversized and cumbersome bloke is no match for Kratos' sheer agility. Evade the Cyclops's attacks and return them in kind until the finisher prompt comes up. When it does, Kratos assumes full control of the Cyclops and coerces it to do his bidding. Nothing could previously budge the impenetrable barrier surrounding Helios, but they surely didn't anticipate a Cyclops. Use the Cyclops to break the guard and wreak havoc.

Eliminate as many enemies as you can with it until it can be terminated, then deal with the remaining enemies. All that's left to do now is to attend to Helios. Following the cut-scene, Kratos must block Helios' powerful rays in order to get in closer for the kill. Using the right Analog Stick, adjust Kratos hand to shield the glowing god from Kratos' face. If this is done unsuccessfully, Kratos will keep getting pushed back, take damage from constant exposure, and eventually die. When he gets close enough to Helios, he can deliver his retribution.

After an overly bloody affair, Kratos gains the Head of Helios, an indispensable aid to his quest against Zeus. It can be used to seek out hidden chests and paths, the existence of which are usually illuminated by the presence of gold speckles floating around. Use it on the seemingly bare rock wall to reveal a hidden door. Search near Helios' headless body for Helios' Shield. Also near his body is a hidden chest with a Minotaur Horn inside.

The Path of Eos

Through the doors, a few enemies throw themselves at Kratos with reckless abandon. Make short work of them and proceed into the vast cavern. Pluck a Gorgon Eye from the chest on the immediate left and proceed past the save point, using it if you want. The caverns tend to be very dark, but it's a good thing Kratos ripped Helios' head clean off--it really comes in handy. To switch between Helios' Head and the Bow of Apollo in the future, all you have to do is hold L2 as you normally would and press Triangle and Square, respectively, to whip out them out.

The cavern's inhabitants continue to harass Kratos as he explores its innards, but it's nothing that he hasn't encountered before. Paint the cavern wall with Helios' bright light to reveal the hidden path. This path winds to the edge of a wide chasm, with a long chain extending across. Before grabbing the chain, climb down to a small ledge below to find a Phoenix Feather!

Crossing the chain, Kratos continues through the dark caverns and soon comes to a small gap. Light up the area to see and float across. After the cut-scene, agitate the resting Harpy using the Bow, and hitch a ride across. Running along the path, Kratos encounters a new enemy, a scythe-wielding Wraith. These guys seem intimidating, but you can abuse the Hyperion Ram move so much that they become sickeningly easy to handle. Repeatedly Hyperion Ram the duo to make short work of them. In addition, if they ever fling their scythes, simply block to deflect them back harmlessly.

Continue up the path to find some chests and a wooden scaffold. Dismantle this and shine Helios' light on the wall behind it to unveil a hidden alcove with a hidden chest! Inside is a Gorgon Eye. Progress across the bridge comes to a complete halt when the area gets overrun with Wraiths, and unreachable archers rain down arrows. Use the oil cans to cause some initial damage to the Wraiths and dispatch the archers in quick succession. Take care of the Wraiths the same way you did the first time--by using Hyperion Ram over and over again. It's cheap, but hey, it works!

When passage across the bridge is allowed once again, search the corner for a well-hidden chest containing a Phoenix Feather. Free the Orbs from their chests and be on your way. Save your game and explore the small room for red Orbs. There's a hidden alcove that is waiting to be revealed by Helios' light. Afterwards, ride the draft up and partake in a kind of mini-game that involves steering Kratos away from obstructions. He takes damage for crashing into obstructions, so guide him away beforehand.

Kratos lands on a platform and must make his way to the top despite everything working against him. The falling debris and the crumbling walkways--he must persevere! After two grapple points, Kratos must ascend and wind his way around to a walkway. Whip out the Helios' Head to uncover a hidden chest with a Phoenix Feather. Then, swing across two more grapple points and partake in another dodging mini-game. This time, flaming debris and girders abound! Make sure Kratos is in relatively good health standing when he finishes his flight.

The Caverns

The area holds a single secret in southeast corner. The Helios' Head will reveal it to you: a Minotaur Horn. Now burn down the bramble here to hit a cog that re-arranges the entire cavern in terms of the large suspended blocks. After everything falls into place, grapple the first point and land on the floating platform to reach the second grapple point. From here, connect from point to point until Kratos reaches the top of the block safely.

As the ride moves automatically, enemies begin to swarm the block. Minotaurs attempt to destroy the base of the chain, but their work has to be interrupted. Constantly keep them occupied to prevent them from returning to work on the chain. Put down this first set of Minotaurs, and two more emerge and get support from a gang of archers. A good tactic (one that may rely on a bit of luck too) is to use Soul Summon to ram a Minotaur or two off the block completely.

Succeeding the Minotaurs is a Cerberus, whose fire-breathing rump can be soon used to turn against the sudden flood of Minotaurs. The Cerberus rampage leaves two Minotaur behind, but no matter Kratos can clean up. Eliminate the last of these brutes and approach the figure on the other block. Climb the large chain up a ways to reach the next area of interest.

The Flame of Olympus

Approach the brightly lit structure in the middle to trigger a cut-scene, where Kratos learns what he must do next. A trained eye will observe the gold specks floating in front of pedestals on the left side of the room. Sure enough, the head of Helios reveals a hidden mural. Unveil a couple more around the room and read the descriptions to draw Hermes out of hiding. Hermes then taunts the volatile Spartan to chase after him--what a tool bag.

Olympian Citadel

Keep in mind that much of the pursuit relies on quick movements and do-or-die situations. If a platform looks unstable, you'd better get Kratos off it pronto.

Ignore Hermes on the other platform for now and opt for the red Orb chests at the end of the pathway. Only after they've been collected should you initiate the chase by gliding toward Hermes and sliding down the smooth wall. Hit the grapple point and land on the wooden bridge below. Every wasted second allows the raging fire to close in on Kratos, and what that happens Hermes wins. Traverse the bridge quickly, jumping over the first gap and over the fire at the second.

Kratos must climb up the vertically hanging bridge as quickly as possible, but some hapless blokes are left hanging for dear life. Whip them out of the way and scurry up the bridge after Hermes before the flames engulf Kratos. You must now guide him through narrow ledges and then glide toward the scaffold. Immediately latch onto the grapple point to avoid falling and get whisked away to a higher area.

Hit the lever here and copy Hermes' circus act to reach the other side safely. Upon landing, the stone bridge takes a crushing blow and collapses to a lower level at first but soon crumbles completely. Scramble out of harm's way by making a run for the grapple points--there should be three in total before you land on stable ground again. Hermes wastes no time on releasing mongrels and Harpies upon Kratos and the panicked citizens of Olympia. Take the ladder adjacent the gate and scale the building side.

The badass Kratos comes up with a brilliant way of reaching Hermes on the giant statue at the far end of the area. Hermes is now wounded and deserving of further punishment. You can find Hermes' Coin among the rubble next to the giant statue head. Spot the trail of blood stains to locate its source, Hermes, who barely puts up a fight. The speed he's come to rely on so much becomes heavily compromised by his grave injuries. Keep slashing at him and counter his jumps to eventually reach the finishing cut-scene.

Kratos takes the Boots of Hermes by brute force and can now use them to get a burst of speed, charge across and up walls, and perform aerial dodges. Only walls that have golden footprints running along them can support the Boots of Hermes. Follow the footprints to the top and clear out the enemies here. The path leads outside, so continue across the bridge and up to the area above. There's a hidden chest in the corner here with a Phoenix Feather inside.

Continue the ascent until no more golden footprints tag the walls and float over to the ledge on the right. Move into the clearing and prepare to fend off Olympian warriors and a Cyclops clad in armor and wielding a chained ball. Despite its intimidation factor, the Cyclops is easy to deal with. Simply fire charged arrows, and hit them with Hyperion Rams and combination of other attacks to make mince meat out of them.

When the coast is clear, head to the far left of the door to find chests, one of which holds a Minotaur Horn.

The Flame of Olympus II

Save your game and move into the open hallway. The hallway introduces you to a new enemy: a ghostly Siren. At first, they are immune to physical attacks, but use the head of Helios on them to draw out their corporeal form. Only then can Kratos' attacks have any effect on them. Spam the Hyperion Ram on these whiny broads and finish them off.

Loot the chest at the end of the hallway and run up the spiraling staircase. Through the gates is a large room with a strange mechanism. Before any attempts on cracking the secret of it, ride up the air vent on the left side to find a Phoenix Feather in one of the chests.

What you need to do here is reach the top platform with four spinning contraptions. Starting at the first one on the far right, spin it three times. Now moving from right to left, spin the next one three times also and leave the third one alone. Spin the last one once only. The design below starts to look like a sword. Now move to the PS3 button scheme in the center of the room below.

Press the buttons as they hit the stencil in the center correctly; sometimes you need to press two buttons at once. Once the puzzle is solved, a lever replaces the button scheme, so pull it to activate the elevator. In the middle of its descent, the elevator stops and enemies sporting heavy shields board the elevator. These guys can't be touched for now so stay on the defensive until a Gorgon joins the party. Terminate the Gorgon and use its petrifying gaze to "freeze" the other enemies, at which point they can be shattered into little bits and pieces. Repeat with the second group.

Hit up the crank in the center and slowly turn it. Head through the newly revealed hallway, battle it out with some Wraiths and descend the spiral staircase. Use the Helios' Head to uncover a hidden chest and empty it for a Gorgon Eye. Save here and prepare to face another god.

Boss Battle: Hercules

After much chatter, the next combatant is revealed: Kratos' brother, Hercules. This muscled brute relies heavily on sheer strength. At first, it will only just be Kratos and never ending clusters of normal baddies. Prove to Hercules that he needs to throw more than just a few wimps at Kratos for Hercules to finally don his Nemean Cestus and step into the ring. Unlike a past lengthy encounter with a certain God of the Underworld, Hercules possesses only a few albeit powerful tricks and uses them in high frequency.

Hercules swings in a one-two combo and finishes with a powerful ground slam that causes splash damage. The destructive force can send Kratos flying backward. This is especially bad if Kratos stands near a spiked wall, at which point the force of the blow embeds Kratos in the wall. Mash the appropriate buttons to rip free from the wall. The numerous lackeys running around with Hercules can be annoying, but Battering Ram is an effective and fast way of dealing with them.

Inflict enough damage to the big meathead while dodging his Cestus attacks until Hercules lets out an enraged roar and charges Kratos. Mash the Circle button to stay his ground and then shove Hercules into a spiked wall. The cornered Hercules gets his armored ripped out one-by-one when this happens, so this needs to be done two more times.

When enough damage is dealt, Hercules appeals to Hera for some emotional support. With Hercules clearly distracted, this presents a golden opportunity for retaliation, and Kratos wastes no time in acting on the impulse. Kratos claims the Nemean Cestus, leaving Hercules with nothing but pure brawn. Hercules doesn't mind, however, since he prefers it this way. He actually gets a little more dangerous now that he resorts more to grappling moves--ones that can fling Kratos clear across the arena and crush the wind out of him.

Utilize more evasive maneuvers and give it to him good with your new toys. Eventually, Hercules lifts up a chunk of the entire arena floor, and you will need to match the context buttons on-screen to drive Kratos back toward Hercules. Finish off this dumb brute and claim his Nemean Cestus for good.

Dive underwater to obtain Hercules' Shoulder Guard, then navigate through the tunnels to a small ambush. Here Kratos gains Nemean Roar and a regenerating magic meter for infinite use of the new magic attack. Clear them all out and turn the wheel to open the gate. The gate won't stay open for long, so quickly run under the gate.

Poseidon Princess

Poseidon's Chamber

Save your game, and head down the hall to meet the Poseidon Princess, who beseeches Kratos' help. A cursory glance in her room shows that the only way in is through the single blue portal there. Head into the room with three blue portals and float over to the only accessible portal on the right side. This one pops Kratos out of the top portal. From here, double jump to the ledge on the left and pull the lever to bridge the main pathway below.

Some mongrels also spawn, but the point is not to kill them but to kick them--literally. Grab them using the Circle button and kick them into the open portal, which spits them out of the portal on top like you've witnessed before. Except this time the platform, unable to bear the weight of a single dog, starts to lower a bit. Each dog kicked onto the platform lowers it ever more. Deliver a total of four dogs onto the platform, and then enter the portal to force the platform the whole way down, allowing access to the bottom portal.

This portal transports Kratos into the very room of the trapped Princess. Once freed, she immediately flees, but you should stick around a bit to collect the goodies around the room, including a Poseidon's Conch Shell and a Gorgon Eye. Back outside the Princess finds herself in greater distress, but take out the canines for her and drag her into the portal. As she makes a run for it, the gates close behind her and the two stone Golems come to life. They act similarly to the other stone Golems only that they glow in a different hue when struck. Bash them repeatedly using the Nemean Cestus and block their attacks until the finisher prompt pops up.

Drag the Princess along for the ride, killing off the pair of Onyx-shielded soldiers and another Golem. Once they've bitten the dust, spin the wheel and quickly run under them before they close on the Spartan. Following the cut-scene, flash Helios' glow on the distorted air near Pandora's statue to unveil a Phoenix Feather. Head out into the Upper Gardens.

The Upper Gardens

The mechanism here powers the bridge and rotates them accordingly so that Kratos can reach the next mechanism and ultimately the entrance to Aphrodite's Chamber. Turn each one and double jump to the next platform until the one in the middle of the area (just before the broken one). Rotate this one twice to turn the bridge back toward the palace and double jump to the doors.

Aphrodite's Chamber

Kratos barges in on this love goddess already busy with some of her female companions. She shoos them away as Kratos approaches and tempts Kratos in to her bed. You can choose to oblige her or not. If you do, you will need to complete a…unique QTE event, and if performed to her standards . Afterwards, scavenge the room for the Phoenix Feather from the chest, some red Orbs, and Aphrodite's Garter from behind her bed. When ready, head through the revealed portal to speak to Hephaestus in the Forge.

After the cut-scene with the smith, the doorway to Tartarus opens up.

Tartarus

Follow the path and about midway through Kratos should fall upon a chest containing a Phoenix Feather inside. Round the bend to a ring-like area, at which point a Centaur makes an entrance and dozens upon dozens of other minions join the skirmish. The lesser minions serve as great Battering Rams, whereas the Centaur itself shouldn't be too difficult to deal with if you repeatedly spam Hyperion Ram or use the Nemean Cestus. After the dust settles, hop up and proceed to the next area.

Gates of Tisiphone

The next area features a bit more of a challenge, where Kratos is pitted against two Chimera. The second one appears a bit later--around the time the first Chimera sheds its first form. Keep the strategy simple: focus on one at a time, although if the opportunity presents itself don't shy away from peeling off the multiple layers of the other Chimera. We found that the second Chimera presented the least issues when it remained in its first, serpent form mostly because it didn't pounce around or charge as much. Utilize the great number of oil cans scattered around to inflict major damage upon the wretched abominations too.

Afterwards, yank both chains here to re-arrange pieces of the wall, and then push the two blocks into the wall. Jump up the left side and lasso the hapless Harpy. Steer it toward the blocks on the right--these slide in and out of the wall in a readable pattern. Just land on the unmoving platform and then jump up to the blocks when they slide back out. Make your way up this wall, utilizing the Harpies and some nice timing to eventually reach the very top. Turn this engraving to bust open these giant doors. Save your game and dive into the Pit of Tartarus.

The Pit of Tartarus

Take the linear path down, ignoring all the baddies unless you need to replenish some of Kratos' health or want red Orbs, to meet the real opponent at the end.

Boss Battle: Cronos

Cronos, an imprisoned Titan, is hell-bent on exacting his revenge--Kratos sure knows how to piss a whole lot of people off. The battle with this behemoth begins with Kratos in a very dire predicament. Spam the context button to avoid being squeezed to a pulp. After Kratos spills the first blood from Cronos' finger, press L2 and Triangle to unleash a flash of light from Helios' Head. This blinds Cronos and causes Kratos to fall somewhere along his arm. Climb up and slash at an open wound to get Cronos' attention.

The perspective from here gives Cronos' every working advantage, but all you really have to do is run Kratos back and forth along the length of the arm to avoid a breath attack and a palm strike. The latter creates a large enough impact to catapult Kratos into the air and, without the proper response, can seal his fate permanently. Usually, it requires a flick of the left Analog Stick to return Kratos to safety. Other than these attacks, small minions also claim their space on Cronos' arm and continue to harass Kratos. The main target during this segment of the battle is Cronos' middle fingernail. On occasion, Cronos digs his fingers into his own arm for some time, at which point you need to take this opportunity to slice it up. We highly recommend using the Blade of Exile and its Cyclone of Chaos to simultaneously hit both the fingernail and the legion most likely following Kratos around. When enough damage is dealt to the fingernail, hit the Circle button to rip it clean off--yowza!

A little peeved about his lost fingernail, Cronos begins to slap his entire hand down on the arm. Look for dark shadows on the ground and roll into the sunny spots to avoid getting smashed! Quickly climb up the finger and cast another Solar Flare upon the Titan. Execute the buttons properly and climb up the side, where eventually Kratos reaches a platform that spawns other baddies. Two Golems and a number of other dudes surround Kratos. After taking care of these guys, open the covering here and expose a weakspot. Don the Cestus and bash away. Naturally, Cronos is very irritated and grabs Kratos. Some QTE buttons here, including a couple of grapple points to hit.

After landing, start running away, jumping over obstacles and hitting the final grapple point here to flee to safety. Though you soon find out that "here" is not exactly safe. An ugly-looking Cyclops makes a surprise appearance (came from his shoulder??), but it doesn't pose much of a threat since you've seen his tricks before. Deal enough damage and Kratos will ride shotgun on this monstrosity's back. Have the Cyclops throw salt on the gaping wound on Cronos' shoulder, and be launched into another series of QTE buttons.

Cronos swallows Kratos whole, and so Kratos must now slide down the esophagus before he gets consumed by descending black stuff (saliva?). Dodge the obstructions and whack the Cyclops out of the way. In a very Kratos-like fashion, he slices his way out of the intestines. The final part of this lengthy battle requires Kratos to climb up the fingers and work toward the large chunk of Onyx. Beat it senseless and ram the thing through the Titan's dirty mouth. From here, chip off the protruding piece of Onyx, approach the forehead, and wait for the final finisher. Say goodnight, Cronos.

The Forge II

Remove the obstruction and return to the Forge. As promised, Hephaestus crafts a powerful weapon, the Nemesis Whip, although with strings attached. Kratos does not respond kindly to his betrayal and puts the smith god out of his misery by attacking the uncharged pedestal with the new whip. The following allows Kratos to showcase the awesome that is the Nemesis Whip. It is extremely powerful, lightning fast, and so pretty (the colors, man, the colors!). Hephaestus' Ring is up for grabs as well from the area to the left of his body.

Aphrodite's Chamber

Charge up to the top portal using the Boots of Hermes and return to Aphrodite's Chamber. She is ready for another go if you are.

The Upper Gardens

Back outside, channel the electricity from the Nemesis Whip to the powered down mechanisms to turn the bridges. Use this method to power up the previously broken one and reach the other door in the palace. The next room has an overwhelming number of chests, gadgets, and things to look at. Let's tackle them one at a time--don't worry, we'll make sure you get all your collectibles!

The first thing of note is that the portals are all interconnected within the room. Start off by moving to the ballista in the center of the room and rotating it to the left so that it faces the left portal. Fire it to create a zipline that zig-zags through the room and finally to the far alcove at the top left of the room. Some iron bars hinder direct movement across the final zipline, so simply navigate around and glide to the rest of the zipline. Flip open the chest to find a Minotaur Horn.

Now pull the lever on the right side of the room to elevate the platform on which the ballista rests. Return to the ballista and send another arrow through the portal here. This time it gives access to a Gorgon Eye from within the chest sitting on the right alcove above.

Rotate the ballista back to its original position and shoot the metal gate. The arrow slips right in the key slot and forces the gate open. From here, observe the golden footprints lining the surface to the immediate right of the ballista and follow them up into the orange portal. This pops Kratos out in an isolate ledge with another lever. Once the lever is activated, the two chests sitting on the suspended platform lower for a short time. Hop back through the portal and wind up the ballista again for another shot. The arrow should shoot through the portal and connect with the chain holding the chests' platform, sending the chests crashing to the floor. Open each of them up to pocket a Phoenix Feather and Daedalus' Schematics.

The room has now been pilfered of its secrets, and now is the time to move on. Slide down the pole and check the area directly behind to collect yet another goodie: a Minotaur Horn, as well as some red Orbs.

Olympus Gardens

Take the hallway out into the rain, where it becomes evident that Kratos' ruthless murdering of the Gods has reaped unfathomable consequences on the Olympians. After the cut-scene, head to area where Hera had wandered off to fight off some Olympian warriors and collect red Orbs. At a seemingly dead-end on the left, use Helios' Head to uncloak the hidden chest containing the last Phoenix Feather.

Now head to the left, past the save point, to pick up Hera's Chalice. Continuing on, Kratos encounters some more enemies, one of which is a Golem. Hopefully by now, you've maxed out at least one weapon and should be dishing out loads of damage. The Nemesis Whip is a great weapon and is the author's weapon of choice from this point. Level it up as much as you can. Clean out the chests along the way and skip the gated door, heading instead to the hallway. Here Kratos encounters a new enemy: a Satyr--and two of them! These guys, like many of the past enemies, are susceptible to the Hyperion Ram (L1 + Circle). We liked using the Nemesis Whip against them (big surprise) and unleashing devastating combos in the air. Air combos keeps one of the Satyrs completely at your mercy, and the other out-of-reach since Kratos is in the air. Win-win.

Once they're defeated, lift up the gate blocking the way and head into the courtyard. Head to the immediate right and follow this to two red Orb chests. Whip out the Helios' Head to unveil a third chest holding a Gorgon Eye. Loot the rest of the Orb chests and move to the next area. When Kratos steps on the circular platform in the center, a strange effect takes hold and turns your perspective into reality. Barrel down the gate and climb the steps before this effect wears off. Cross the bridge to the gate on the right and enter another part of the courtyard.

There's a pillar here with some steps atop it--swing it around so that the steps slant upward to the right, and drag the pillar into the adjacent area. Shove it in between the brown chalice and the small waterfall on the right. This guides the water into the empty chalice, filling it up and making it heavier. With the gate opened, run down to meet up with Hera one final time. Afterwards, set the visible bramble ablaze to free the entangling roots take her limp body and throw it onto the circular platform here to activate the Hyperion Stone effect.

Locate the movable pillar and this time shove it to the far left, to the gate adjacent the new empty chalice. This spills water into this chalice and fills it up. Now drag the pillar all the way to the lower right, remembering to first rotate the pillar so that the stairs slant upward to the left. Slide it into the end crevice to complete the stairwell. Pick up Hera's body and drop it off by the stairwell, and prepare to hit the circular platform to prolong the Hyperion Stone effect. Haul Hera's body across and deposit it in the empty chalice. Finally, take the pillar and use it to keep the platform weighed down.

Follow the newly formed path all the way to the end to trigger a cut-scene. Agitate the Harpy and ride it across, hopping from Harpy to Harpy. After being ferried to the other side, turn the crank to open the way to the Caverns, but before proceeding use Helios' Head to reveal a chest on the left side. Open it for a Gorgon Eye. In the hallway, ready weapons to take on slithering Scorpions. These are no match for Kratos' current power and should bite the dust with relative ease. At the end, turn the wheel to be lowered.

NOTE: If you missed a Phoenix Feather from before, you will find the chest here.

Remember that Helios' Head can guide you through the darkness. There's nothing to worry about as Kratos progresses; just a few skittering scorpions here and there. Eventually, he arrives at the Caverns.

The Caverns II

It's this room again, and a few things have changed. Glide over to the platform in front of Kratos. Barriers immediately preclude any chance of escape, and armored Cyclops spawn from the ground. Looks easy enough--except after killing one you discover--to your horror--that they keep respawning. However, sticking out like a sore thumb is an enemy that appears bigger and badder than the rest of the armored Cyclops. This Berserker should become the focus of Kratos' fury. It goes down surprisingly fast, so finish the QTE to take control of the brute and start bashing away at the Cyclops. Unfortunately, it can take only so much of a pounding before Kratos is forced to eliminate it. Terminate the remaining Cyclops, if any, and reap the rewards from the chests: a Gorgon Eye and a Minotaur Horn.

Head to the indicated save point. Some familiar gold speckles pervade the air here--you know what to do! Bust out Helios' Head and paint the wall here to expose the hidden path to a hydraulics chamber. Drop to the water below and clean out the chest in the right-hand alcove before fiddling with the lever here. Once pulled, the water level rises and allows Kratos to swim to the upper right area, where he can climb up. When things darken, Helios' Head will be your guiding light. Eventually, a couple of Medusas come out to play. The kill tactic here is the same as that for a Gorgon, or any enemy for that matter: kill it, don't die.

Don't be tempted to rush up the golden footprints, and instead slowly make your way across the wooden floorboards to the right. There are chests to be plundered, and you will get a Minotaur Horn from one. Now take the golden footprint up and follow the pathway to another platform. Upon landing, dozens of the skittering insects climb up to meet Kratos. Just when things start to get a little too icky, a giant Onyx-laden scorpion crashes the party.

Boss Battle: Onyx Scorpion

This giant scorpion is now the main course of this three-part dinner. Notice that its legs are crystallized in the hard Onyx material, and that means only one thing: Nemean Cestus! In the meantime, the smaller scorpions spawn infinitely and swarm the Spartan, but they can be beneficial at times when they relinquish a Health Orb here and there. We recommend, if necessary, to switch to the Blades of Exile to perform the Cyclones of Chaos in order to quickly clear out the annoying scorpions, then switch back to the Cestus. The Onyx scorpion performs only a few attacks: a claw swipe and a tail slam. The tail slam actually does quite a bit of damage, so be ready to roll out of the way when the tail is raised in the air. The claw swipe can be negated completely if Kratos works on the legs, anyway.

Start thrashing away at the Onyx-coated legs. As the leg receives damage, the color changes until it reaches a fiery red, at which point the Onyx material will shatter with only a few more punches. Break the Onyx coverings on three of its legs to severely cripple the scorpion. When the scorpion slumps, this is your cue to have Kratos unload massive combos in its face until the finisher prompt comes up. Watch out for its saliva breath, but if significant damage is dealt it wouldn't have a chance to spew anything but blood.

Moving on to the next phase--the scorpion now retreats and leaves its numerous progeny behind to deal with Kratos. As the number of small scorpions thin out, the mother scorpion returns and belches out a nasty breath. As long as Kratos is far enough away this should cause little harm. The strategy remains largely the same: aim for the Onyx legs and bust them up; smash its face when weakened.

During a QTE sequence, Kratos finds himself flung from the back of the scorpion and into the abyss below, but with a mighty spread of his Icarus' Wings he starts flying back up. All the meanwhile, the scorpion hanging overhead begins to shed chunks of Onyx onto Kratos as he flies up. Dodge these as best as you can, as each falling chunk steals a huge portion of Kratos' health. Finish out the rest of the QTE sequence until the scorpion freezes over. Smash the frozen scorpion and its smaller chunk of ice to acquire the Boreas Icestorm.

The Caverns III

The item activates the triangular heat switches in the ground dispersed throughout. The first one here creates an upward draft that can be used to lift Kratos onto the high platform above. Hit the switch here as well to create a series of grapple points, but before flinging Kratos at them jump to the next platform to unveil a hidden chest full of red Orbs. Now swing across from the higher platform until it ends at the platform. After activating the heat switch here, a myriad of enemies spring up from the ground, including Medusas, Minotaurs, and Onyx shield-carrying soldiers. Obviously, all these combined is quite a handful to swallow. The real danger here is getting petrified by the Medusa and then getting instantly KOed. Use the Nemean Cestus here because one, to break the defense of the Onyx soldiers; two, to perform light attacks that will throw enemies way back and even off the platform. Send as many enemies as you can flying off the platform to eliminate them that much more quickly.

Sling across the new grapple points to the save point and proceed on. The next room should look very familiar--you've been here before. Now you have the means to interact with the heat switch that was here previously. When activated, the blockade barring access to the wall retracts and underneath are golden footprints. Run up and follow this bend around to find Daedalus. After the cut-scene with him, head to the right to run down a long path, at the end of which lie three chests. One of these contains a Gorgon Eye if you haven't found all of them yet; otherwise red Orbs burst out of the chest instead.

Take the zipline that extends underneath Daedalus and take on the series of grapple points from thereon. Hit the final switch to connect everything in place, creating ultimately a giant cube. Head through the hatch to finally enter the Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth

If you've missed out on some of the power-up items, here's your chance to collect some of the ones you're missing. Even if you've gathered them all, the chests still yield a ton of red Orbs. Keep a sharp eye out for collection of gold speckles, usually an indication for some Helios' Head lovin'.

The first room of the Labyrinth isn't too exciting: a save point, a switch, and a hidden chest. Hit the switch to flip the room, and now the fun starts! Oodles of enemies pop up. Kratos will be facing the likes of Onyx Golems, a Cerberus, and packs of rabid hounds. When the Cerberus shows up, crush it and tame the wild hellhound. Turn its ire on the Onyx Golems and surrounding pups to either weaken them or finish them off. When the Cerberus can take no more, finish it and the remaining enemies.

The next room offers up a different sort of challenge, one that doesn't require any weapons but your wits instead. Ignore the chests for now--you can grab them later. Wait for the fire to die down and clamber up the lattice wall, under, and then over to the pounding spike thing above. Wait for the two spikes to meet and swing over to the other. The top spike wall snakes along to the right every so often, so when it's retracting pull Kratos up and hug the lattice wall. Aim for the lever and pull it to open the doorway and stop all mechanical traps. Now Kratos can safely open the chests without any chance of pain.

At first glance, there seems to be a lot going on in the next room of the Labyrinth: a heat switch, a door switch, a heavy pedestal, and some golden footprints. The primary goal here is to somehow get that pedestal on the door switch to keep the switch depressed. This is a lot easier than it sounds. First, drag the pedestal closer to the heat switch here, then activate it to turn the room over. The pedestal drops down like dead-weight to this side of the room. Now position the pedestal next to the door switch (which is now actually on the right side of the wall), then hit the heat switch again. The room flips back to its original position and the pedestal should flop right next to the door switch, as intended. Plant it on the switch and exit the room.

The following room can be quite a doozy. First, enemies of a great variety spawn--no surprise there. But the underlying goal is to stay alive not only from an overwhelming number of enemy assailants but from the environment. You see, the ground, separated into four quadrants, every so often ejects a whole quadrant of spikes that kills anything and everything caught between instantly. Therefore, don't be so distracted from performing combos that you cannot see the spikes coming. Thankfully, there are plenty of signs signaling their forthcoming ejection and some time to move away. The best strategy here is to run around in circles, dodging attacks and making sure you can spot where the spikes will be coming from, and adjust accordingly. A double jump and the use of Icarus' Wings to stay aloft works great here to keep both enemies and the spikes out-of-reach. Yes, the enemies have to be dealt with accordingly, but if you play the cards right, the spikes will do that for you. Finish off the stragglers as you see fit.

When the whole floor indicates it's about to explode in spikes, quickly grapple the single Harpy that magically appears and fly to safety while the rest of the enemies get impaled. The room flips over, and the process begins anew except this time the spikes erupt in two quadrants at a time instead of one. Afterward, jump out of this room toward the save point and save your game.

The Labyrinth II

Pandora's cage is just over yonder, but the Onyx crystal barricading the door must be destroyed first. Open the gate and escape with Pandora after the cut-scene. Pandora is pretty much helpless by herself, but she can, however, keep herself out of harm's way in the presence of enemies. When Gorgons and Olympian warriors flood the room ahead, let Pandora be and focus on the Gorgons. Kill them first to freeze everything else and break them into bits and pieces afterward. Pull the lever back to let Pandora through the little crawl space, then hit the heat switch.

The room flips and a ceiling of blades starts to drop slowly. There's only a limited time before the blades fully descend upon the helpless little girl. Traverse the lattice and jump up to the descending blades to cross over. Drop down and pull the lever here to let Pandora out of the death trap. Boost her up into the tiny crawl space and wait for her to open the cage.

Surprise, surprise. What has Pandora gotten herself into this time? As you scratch your head in quandary, Pandora's airtight container fills up with water. Pull out the huge column from the left side and fly up the wall via the golden footprints. Hover over the spikes, over Pandora's water prison, and to the lattice wall on the right side. Activate the heat switch to turn the room around and make haste away from the descending platform. Climb again to the right and wait for the fluctuating spike wall to descend, then bolt up. Turn the lever and hit the revealed heat switch thereafter to save Pandora. Smash open the glass cage and roll out once more. Check the left side of this room for a hidden Minotaur Horn within a chest. There's only one more to go!

Follow Pandora onto the elevator. Be prepared to fight off myriad waves of enemies comprised of Onyx shield wariors, Minotaurs, Sirens, and Wraiths. Should be a fun time. Afterward, pull the lever and let the platform rise until it comes to a complete stop. Kratos now finds himself above the Labyrinth itself. When Kratos reaches Pandora, she suggests to the Spartan that the chain holding the Labyrinth needs to be broken. Kratos jumps to the pits of hell below and makes his rapid descent back into the underworld. Steer him away from the obstructions to ensure that he arrives there in one piece.

The Three Judges

The three giant stone Judges hold down the chain with iron resolve, and the only way to loosen their grasp is to destroy them. The underworld inhabitants prepare a nice welcoming party for the arriving Spartan: an enraged Cerberus and a couple of Satyrs (these guys join a bit later). Each head of the three-headed dog must be severed before the Cerberus truly dies. The Satyrs make this a little difficult, but they can be mostly ignored while you focus on the hellhound. The Cerberus attacks by spitting out smaller dogs and charging. Kratos can spend a lot of time at its flank, where it is more prone to a savage beating. Cut up the mutt and the Satyrs to drop the gates.

Step on the circular platform and take the portal, which takes Kratos to a familiar area. Head to the left and locate the Onyx lionhead (?) statue for a beating. Apparently these are the only things holding up the Judges, and without them the Judges slump over like rag dolls. There are three total. After the first one is destroyed, Sirens and dogs storm the scene. Mop the floor with them and proceed on toward the right of the screen. The second Onyx is within sight, but a few enemies stand in the way. After dealing with them and the second Onyx, run through the tunnel and shine Helios' light at the gold speckles outside the tunnel to find the last Minotaur Horn. By now--as long as you've been following the walkthrough--you should've collected all the upgrades!

Continuing on, Kratos meets more bad guys, and the final Onyx stone lies on a platform just below. Reach it by climbing down the vine wall. With all the Judges down, nothing resists the pull of the Labyrinth, except for the Onyx casings surrounding the base of the chain. Go ahead and hammer away at them to break the chain free. Now what comes down must eventually go up (wait…that's not how the saying goes…). Kratos rides an updraft back to the surface and must dodge falling debris and obstructions on the way.

Top of the Labyrinth

Climb up the chain to the Flame of Olympus and turn the crank a full 360-degrees. Once it's gone full-circle, things happen, words are said, people scream, and the battle with the God of all Gods ensues!

Boss Battle: Zeus

Zeeeeeuuuuuuuus! Kratos cracking a smile is much harder to do than this final showdown with Zeus, but that is not to say Zeus is a pushover. The battle initially takes a step back in time (in gaming) to the yesteryears of 2D fighting (with 3D characters, of course). Movement is restricted only to side-to-side and within the provided space. The double jump and Hermes' mid-air dash comes in real handy here to both avoid Zeus' attacks and getting cornered by him. One of Zeus' attacks consists of a one-two combo punch, which turns into a powerful thunder clap only if the second hit connects. He also jumps into the air to shoot multiple projectiles at a time. This particular move is easily countered by either standing under him and hitting him, or using the Hyperion Ram to reel him in from mid-air. When he raises his arm and it glows in a gleaming light, he is about to charge straight across the platform and grab Kratos in a choke hold. He then proceeds to drag Kratos across the floor to the opposite wall. If he succeeds, Kratos takes a ton of damage from this attack, but before this happen you can furiously wiggle the left Analog Stick to counter.

Other attacks include a enveloping himself in electricity and flinging himself at Kratos like a homing, electrified cannonball. Roll forward at the last second to evade this devastating attack. Zeus must be bested twice during the two rounds of fighting. The power of the Nemean Cestus is a real asset in the first round. Simply pound into him, spam magic attacks, and evade when necessary. Don't worry too much about health and magic, as they will be generously replenished right before the second round. Because Zeus mixes in a new attack during the second round we don't recommend using the Nemean Cestus. Basically, Zeus casts a series of lightning eruptions across a certain distance in front of him. As long as Kratos is far enough away, in the air, or behind him when he does this he is immune. You may notice, too, that Zeus has a bit of downtime following certain attacks--if he misses Kratos--especially after his one-two combo or choke hold attack. Exploit these opportunities to land a good combo in there.

A long cut-scene after this with a QTE sequence or two interrupts the battle. Save and head outside to the gazebo to meet with Zeus to resume the battle. You could rush headlong into the battle, or stay on the defensive until a certain Titan arrives. Next thing you know, Gaia tosses the two in her body. Navigate through this familiar territory to the heart. The heart is protected by two layers: an Onyx covering and some bramble. Deal with them accordingly to leave the heart at Kratos' utter mercy. However, at this point Zeus re-appears and is determined to duke it out.

The most important thing to note is that the pulsating heart draws from an infinite reserve of health Orbs and supplies them to whomever beats the crap out of it when it glows red. This means that both Zeus and Kratos can make use of this benefit throughout the fight. When the heart glows a bright red, it is ready to pump out the health Orbs. When this happens, Kratos needs to beat Zeus to the punch; never let him regenerate!

During this segment of the fight, Zeus employs a few new techniques, including a Doppelganger attack in which he fires a copy of himself at Kratos and causes initial damage with it. The clones stay in the battle for some time until you make them go away. They aren't perfect replicas, as the real Zeus can easily be discerned by his flowing white loincloth. While the clones can quickly become annoying as Zeus increases the numbers, they greatly benefit your ultimate purpose by providing magic Orbs and being fodder for filling the Blade of Olympus meter. Plus, there's nothing really to cry about when Kratos' health can be recharged.

Zeus' other attack is a lightning projectile that can be deflected back at him. Spam the magic attacks and chain combos where you can. After enough damage is dealt, Zeus and Kratos lock in an intense power struggle, during which you must mash the on-screen buttons.

Sometime later, Kratos finds himself inside his own head, enshrouded in darkness. Here you basically want to look for a blood trail to follow and--later on--a blue light. Interact by pressing R1 at each of the "stops" to advance the sequence. Once guided out of the darkness, Kratos snaps out of it, and you enter a first person perspective of the battle. Lash out randomly against Zeus until he falls, at which point Kratos grabs him and the violence continues. From here you can repeatedly press the Circle button to turn the world a bloody red. When the screen is completely coated with the color, you can stop pressing to finally finish things.

Congratulations! You beat God of War III, but keep watching the end sequence where you will be prompted to do one more thing before the credits roll!

Trophies

Note that there may be spoilers in this list.

Name

Description

Trophy Type

aMAZEd

Complete the Labyrinth without dying

Gold

Are You Horny to Win?

Collect all of the Minotaur Horns

Silver

Bloody Hell

Cover Kratos in 500 buckets of blood by killing the enemies

Bronze

Burnt to a Crisp

Acquire the Bow of Apollo

Bronze

Eye Candy

Collect all of the Gorgon Eyes

Silver

Feather Plucker

Collect all of the Phoenix Feathers

Silver

Freezer Burn

Acquire the Boreas Icestorm

Silver

Handy Man

Sever Gaia’s Hand

Bronze

Hit Man

Perform a 1000-hit combo

Bronze

Hitting Your Stride

Upgrade any weapon to the next level

Bronze

Hooker

Kill Hades

Silver

I didn’t do it…But I wish I did

Kill the Poseidon Princess

Bronze

It’s getting hot in here…

Burn 100 enemies with the Bow of Apollo

Bronze

King of the Hill

Unlock all Trophies

Platinum

Ladies Man

Successfully entertain Aphrodite

Bronze

Maxed Out!

Completely upgrade all weapons

Silver

Mr. Hand

Discover the secret ‘Hades Arm’ room

Bronze

Nice Tan

Blind 100 enemies with the Head of Helios

Bronze

No Guts, No Glory

Gut 3 Centaur Generals

Bronze

Obedience School

Deliver 50 kicks to Hounds

Bronze

Open Sesame

Open the Gates of Tisiphone

Bronze

Priceless

Collect all of the ‘Godly Possessions’

Gold

Releasing the Floodgate

Kill Poseidon

Bronze

Rescue Me

Save Pandora

Bronze

Retribution

Kill Zeus

Silver

Rip One!

Rip apart 1 Olympus Sentry

Bronze

Seeing things from a different perspective

Solve Hera’s Garden

Silver

Shine Lord

Kill Helios

Bronze

Shoe Delivery

Kill Hermes and acquire his Boots

Bronze

Sibling Rivalry

Kill Hercules

Silver

Souled Out

Summon every Soul with the Claws of Hades

Bronze

Three Wise Men

Solve the Three Judges

Bronze

Titan Slayer

Kill Cronos

Silver

Unhuman

Beat Titan Mode

Gold

Up to the Challenge

Beat the Challenge of Olympus

Gold

Vengeance Complete

Beat the game

Gold

The Three Judges

The three giant stone Judges hold down the chain with iron resolve, and the only way to loosen their grasp is to destroy them. The underworld inhabitants prepare a nice welcoming party for the arriving Spartan: an enraged Cerberus and a couple of Satyrs (these guys join a bit later). Each head of the three-headed dog must be severed before the Cerberus truly dies. The Satyrs make this a little difficult, but they can be mostly ignored while you focus on the hellhound. The Cerberus attacks by spitting out smaller dogs and charging. Kratos can spend a lot of time at its flank, where it is more prone to a savage beating. Cut up the mutt and the Satyrs to drop the gates.

Step on the circular platform and take the portal, which takes Kratos to a familiar area. Head to the left and locate the Onyx lionhead (?) statue for a beating. Apparently these are the only things holding up the Judges, and without them the Judges slump over like rag dolls. There are three total. After the first one is destroyed, Sirens and dogs storm the scene. Mop the floor with them and proceed on toward the right of the screen. The second Onyx is within sight, but a few enemies stand in the way. After dealing with them and the second Onyx, run through the tunnel and shine Helios' light at the gold speckles outside the tunnel to find the last Minotaur Horn. By now--as long as you've been following the walkthrough--you should've collected all the upgrades! Continuing on, Kratos meets more bad guys, and the final Onyx stone lies on a platform just below. Reach it by climbing down the vine wall. With all the Judges down, nothing resists the pull of the Labyrinth, except for the Onyx casings surrounding the base of the chain. Go ahead and hammer away at them to break the chain free. Now what comes down must eventually go up (wait…that's not how the saying goes…). Kratos rides an updraft back to the surface and must dodge falling debris and obstructions on the way. Top of the Labyrinth Climb up the chain to the Flame of Olympus and turn the crank a full 360-degrees. Once it's gone full-circle, things happen, words are said, people scream, and the battle with the God of all Gods ensues! Boss Battle: Zeus Zeeeeeuuuuuuuus! Kratos cracking a smile is much harder to do than this final showdown with Zeus, but that is not to say Zeus is a pushover. The battle initially takes a step back in time (in gaming) to the yesteryears of 2D fighting (with 3D characters, of course). Movement is restricted only to side-to-side and within the provided space. The double jump and Hermes' mid-air dash comes in real handy here to both avoid Zeus' attacks and getting cornered by him. One of Zeus' attacks consists of a one-two combo punch, which turns into a powerful thunder clap only if the second hit connects. He also jumps into the air to shoot multiple projectiles at a time. This particular move is easily countered by either standing under him and hitting him, or using the Hyperion Ram to reel him in from mid-air. When he raises his arm and it glows in a gleaming light, he is about to charge straight across the platform and grab Kratos in a choke hold. He then proceeds to drag Kratos across the floor to the opposite wall. If he succeeds, Kratos takes a ton of damage from this attack, but before this happen you can furiously wiggle the left Analog Stick to counter. Other attacks include a enveloping himself in electricity and flinging himself at Kratos like a homing, electrified cannonball. Roll forward at the last second to evade this devastating attack. Zeus must be bested twice during the two rounds of fighting. The power of the Nemean Cestus is a real asset in the first round. Simply pound into him, spam magic attacks, and evade when necessary. Don't worry too much about health and magic, as they will be generously replenished right before the second round. Because Zeus mixes in a new attack during the second round we don't recommend using the Nemean Cestus. Basically, Zeus casts a series of lightning eruptions across a certain distance in front of him. As long as Kratos is far enough away, in the air, or behind him when he does this he is immune. You may notice, too, that Zeus has a bit of downtime following certain attacks--if he misses Kratos--especially after his one-two combo or choke hold attack. Exploit these opportunities to land a good combo in there. A long cut-scene after this with a QTE sequence or two interrupts the battle. Save and head outside to the gazebo to meet with Zeus to resume the battle. You could rush headlong into the battle, or stay on the defensive until a certain Titan arrives. Next thing you know, Gaia tosses the two in her body. Navigate through this familiar territory to the heart. The heart is protected by two layers: an Onyx covering and some bramble. Deal with them accordingly to leave the heart at Kratos' utter mercy. However, at this point Zeus re-appears and is determined to duke it out. The most important thing to note is that the pulsating heart draws from an infinite reserve of health Orbs and supplies them to whomever beats the crap out of it when it glows red. This means that both Zeus and Kratos can make use of this benefit throughout the fight. When the heart glows a bright red, it is ready to pump out the health Orbs. When this happens, Kratos needs to beat Zeus to the punch; never let him regenerate! During this segment of the fight, Zeus employs a few new techniques, including a Doppelganger attack in which he fires a copy of himself at Kratos and causes initial damage with it. The clones stay in the battle for some time until you make them go away. They aren't perfect replicas, as the real Zeus can easily be discerned by his flowing white loincloth. While the clones can quickly become annoying as Zeus increases the numbers, they greatly benefit your ultimate purpose by providing magic Orbs and being fodder for filling the Blade of Olympus meter. Plus, there's nothing really to cry about when Kratos' health can be recharged. Zeus' other attack is a lightning projectile that can be deflected back at him. Spam the magic attacks and chain combos where you can. After enough damage is dealt, Zeus and Kratos lock in an intense power struggle, during which you must mash the on-screen buttons. Sometime later, Kratos finds himself inside his own head, enshrouded in darkness. Here you basically want to look for a blood trail to follow and--later on--a blue light. Interact by pressing R1 at each of the "stops" to advance the sequence. Once guided out of the darkness, Kratos snaps out of it, and you enter a first person perspective of the battle. Lash out randomly against Zeus until he falls, at which point Kratos grabs him and the violence continues. From here you can repeatedly press the Circle button to turn the world a bloody red. When the screen is completely coated with the color, you can stop pressing to finally finish things. Congratulations! You beat God of War III, but keep watching the end sequence where you will be prompted to do one more thing before the credits roll! Trophies Note that there may be spoilers in this list.